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The Baby Namers’ Alphabet

A was the most popular first initial for girls’ names in 2009, the last year for which there are official US statistics, and the most popular first letter overall, with one in eight babies getting a name that starts with A.

C or K? A lot of parents see these initials as interchangeable, with names from the classic (Cate or Kate) to the trendy (Kaylee or Caleigh) . And of course, international variations of certain names may make the first initial C in some cases — Christopher, for instance — but K is others, as with the Dutch or German Kristof.

D

Kids with names that start with D do worse in school than those whose start with A, B, and C, according to one study.

Ruby, name of the red birthstone for the month of July, is the Number 2 name in England and Wales as well as New Zealand and a Top 25 name throughout most of the rest of the English-speaking world, though not yet in the Top 100 in the U.S.

S

Steven trumps Stephen: More boys over time have gotten the new-fangled spelling in the U.S. than the more classic one.